| Injured | Killed |
|---|---|
| 7 | 0 |
Date: 22 January 2013
Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/01/22/899862/7-army-scout-rangers-hurt-basilan-ambush
Col. Rodrigo Gregorio, civil military operation and Spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said the soldiers ambushed by the bandits are members of the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion (SRB) of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Gregorio said the soldiers were on their way back to the headquarters of the 12th Scout Rangers Company when they came under attack at around 7:40 a.m. at the vicinity of barangays Amaloy and Bohe Pahu in Ungkaya Pukan town.
“They were ambushed by an undetermined number of Abu Sayyaf and lawless elements after coming from security patrol,” Gregorio said.
The wounded soldiers were able to return fir as their maneuvered against the position of the attacking rebels. The bandits retreated with suspected casualties after 20 minutes of gun battle.
The wounded scout rangers were immediately extricated from the combat zone and airlifted by Philippine Air Force (PAF) and US helicopters to Camp Navarro General Hospital (CNGH) based inside the Wesmincom headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Gregorio said that the wounded soldiers have been declared out of danger by military doctors.
He said that teams have been deployed to the ambush site to track down the bandits.
“We suspect that this is the handiwork of the spoilers particularly the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) who wanted to destroy the significant headway that we achieved from the successful meeting with the forces of the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front),” Gregorio added.